A/N: Spoilers for LN, Webnovel and Anime content ahead. Actually, this entire story is spoilers. If you aren't sure how far, I'd say that this spoiler warning extends up to Arc 6 of the Web Novel. This is far past the current end of the anime, for anime-only watchers. Now then, let us continue on, dear guests.
IMPORTANT: This is just a break chapter where characters discuss what they have already watched in greater detail. They will be significantly shorter than the reaction chapters, and there aren't going to be any episode reactions, only a reaction to the first opening. This chapter exists to represent breaks in the story, and allow for deeper character building.
Feel free to skip and wait for Episode 3 if you're only here for episode reactions.
Break Time: Arc 1 – A Small Relief, and the Opening
Once Emilia had stepped past the threshold of the double-doors leading out of the Theater, she was suddenly blinded by a bright light. It forced her to cover her eyes with her hands, blinking for a while as her vision slowly adjusted to what was in front of her.
A few seconds passed, and soon Emilia's sight had finally become acclimated to the suddenly bright scenery. She eased her hand down from in front of her vision, but realized that she was even more unprepared for what was in front of her.
It was a giant, mysterious circular area, which reminded her of a sort of some sort of large marketplace. Yet, it didn't look like a regular marketplace at all.
There were all of these little storefronts, with no names to differentiate them. They all shared one thing, however – they seemed to have delicious-looking foods sitting behind the counter of each and every shop.
Not to mention, all of the walls of the place looked entirely alien, made out of a material or made with a technique she'd never seen before. It reminded her of how some of the buildings in Subaru's world had looked like.
There was also an area with some comfortable looking seats and tables, set up as if they were accommodations in a restaurant.
And aside from those, there were two other miscellaneous looking places, though these had names in front of them, written in the native language of their world.
One read 'Library', and the next read as 'Arcade'. Emilia knew what the first one was, but had absolutely no idea what the second one actually meant.
"W-Wow...this place is reeeeeeeally mysterious…" She murmured, taking a few steps deeper into the area, her eyes widened in awe at just wherever they now were.
"Mysterious? Jus' mysterious?!" A certain feminine voice bearing a Kansai dialect cut through the air in outrage.
Of course, it was Anastasia Hoshin, who was looking at the half-elf with absolute disbelief at her simple words regarding their new scenery.
She quickly turned around to look at the architecture and shops around them, her blue-green eyes greedily taking in every single detail she could.
"No, this place 'ere is amazin'. It ain't like nothin' I've ever seen before. S'like we stepped into a 'nother world entirely!" Her words were filled with a barely contained excitement, as her brain was practically overloaded at the sheer potential this place had.
"Mum is right! All of it's really crazy! Crazy cool!"
"T-There's so much food, and it all smells and looks really delicious…"
"Wonder if we can just swipe whatever we want?"
The newly formed sisterhood of Mimi, Petra, and Felt, roamed around the place from shop to shop, all looking curiously at every single place with interest in the food that was hiding behind the counter.
"Now, now, it's fine to be curious, but I don't think it would be mannerly to simply take whatever you'd like." Frederica was seemingly chaperoning the three girls, keeping watch over them as they moved from place to place.
"Otto-bro, we gotta try every single place in th's 'ntire damn buildin'!" Garfiel roared, eyes sparkling as he nearly salivated over all the free choice the setup afforded him. Otto just looked on in exasperation at his brother-in-arms, sighing and shaking his head.
"Usually I would reel you back in, but…" The gray-haired minister could not help but feel curiosity bubble up within him as well, awakening his merchant instincts. "...I am a little excited at this area, myself."
"Still, I believe that it is rather easy to see...this area must be based off of some place from Subaru's world, must it not? I don't believe I have ever seen any place such as this within Lugnica." Reinhard admitted, keeping a certain air of caution around him as he stepped around the unknown place.
"Ain't jus' Lugnica, brother. There ain't nothin' like this n'Kararagi, either." Ricardo affirmed the cautious Sword Saint's idea, with his nose drawing him towards the food shops as well.
"Heh. Guess I don't need to say shit about Vollachia, then." Al was sitting at one of the dining tables, seated directly opposite his ever-prideful mistress, Priscilla. The entire room gave the man a sort of sense of nostalgia...and for some reason, he knew exactly what it was.
A food court, something that you'd usually see in a mall. Minus the actual rest of the mall, of course.
Seeing realization in her knight's eyes, Priscilla leaned forward with a demanding gaze. She seemed to immediately catch on to his thought process. "I won't have you hiding any more secrets from me, Aldebaran. What is this odd location? Mineself demands to know."
At her almost-threatening tone, the one-armed knight gave a sigh, only able to relent into the woman's wishes. "You know I don't like that name, princess…" Despite this complaint, Priscilla just kept her gaze locked on him firmly, indicating that she wanted him to press on regardless.
"It's called a 'food court', Princess. It's supposed to be a place where all types of food places are set up, for you to get whatever you want. They usually don't got libraries and arcades included, though."
With this brief explanation, Priscilla let out a satisfied hum, mulling over the words that her knight had just presented to her. Her greediness for knowledge was nowhere near a certain merchant-princess's, but she was definitely pulled in by the oddness and novelty of this situation.
"I assume that we are all familiar with what a library is, but...just what is this 'arcade'?" Julius had stepped towards the building labeled as such, trying the glass double-doors that led inside the 'arcade'. Yet, they seemed to be locked, likely from the other side. "It seems to be locked away from us, as well."
"Betty shall be the one to inform you all, if she must, I suppose!" Beatrice immediately spoke up just before Al was about to answer again. She gave the helmeted man a triumphant smirk, happy she had beat him in the race of explaining otherworldly concepts once more. "It is a place of play, according to Betty's contractor. It holds various 'video games', which utilizes screens much like the one we used within the Theater, alongside controls which enable you to 'play' these games. You can also receive rewards for playing these games, somewhat similarly to games set up at stalls within festivals, in fact."
All of the kids' eyes lit up at this idea, with each and every single one of them expressing their excitement.
"Th't sounds freaking awesome! My amazin' self's gonna be settin' th'high scores fer each n'every one a' 'em!" Garfiel bellowed, raising both fists up to the air in hype.
"Nuh-uh! Mimi is gonna be the one setting all the best scores in the arcade!" The little hamburger-loving vice-captain of the Iron Fang yelled in protest.
Mimi and Garfiel exchanged a heated gaze, with the sparks of competition almost being visible between the two of them. Garfiel growled, and Mimi pouted, as each readied themselves for the upcoming challenge. It would surely be the fight of a lifetime-
"That aside, I believe we should first focus on the important matters." Crusch took hold of the conversation, her conviction-filled words immediately drawing everyone's attention to her. "First, we need to restore what energy we can. We have been sitting down and watching for what has felt like hours, should we not allow ourselves a moment to fill our stomachs?"
"Crusch-sama is right, I'm getting really hungry, nyan~!" The tomboyish countess' feminine knight spoke up, rubbing his delicate hands all around his tummy.
"We still aren't exactly sure if we're allowed to eat this food, however...should we not be careful?" Rem was a little hesitant to so easily go ahead with this idea, remembering for herself the threatening nature that the Host had presented when displeased.
"This space was referred to as our 'break room', yes? It is hard to imagine that Sir Host would simply lead us into a room filled with food and other amenities, only to prevent us from eating anything." Wilhelm argued, comfortably seated at one of the dining tables.
Emilia nodded in agreement to the old butler's reasoning. "I still believe the Host is nicer than just being some threatening, alien orb...he's shown us what Subaru's been suffering through, and he was nice enough to save me and Subaru's lives...we can at least trust him to keep us fed and alive, can't we?"
It was hard for even the most skeptical among the cast to go against the half-elf's convincing words, and everyone seemed to more on less be on board with the idea of refilling themselves with a well-deserved meal.
"Then...let's eat!"
With those cheerful words from the silver-haired young lady, everyone was set on the path of getting themselves some food.
The stalls seemed to vary in types of food, and the food seemed to be hot and ready, as if it were just freshly cooked. There were even desserts and more small, snack-like foods located at some of the shops.
Of course, there were also vegan options, along with healthier choices for those who preferred such foods.
All in all, everyone was able to get some sort of food, and was also able to easily seat themselves within the prepared dining area.
Food Gathering Intermission...
"This is deliciouuuuuus~!" Mimi yelled in delight while digging into a set of burgers and fries. She was practically glowing, her cheeks stuffed as she kept eating and eating. Her twin brothers were sat besides her, with Tivey looking as exasperated to his sister's antics as usual, and Hetaro just happily watching his sister chow down.
"Hate t'agree with m'rival, but th's food s'really th'best I ever eaten!" Garfiel spoke while tearing into his own meal. It was one of his favorite foods – pie! Of course, it wasn't as good as the old lady, Lewes' pie, or his own sister's pie, but it was damn good.
"You call this good food? Ha! I could easily steam potatoes better tasting than anything this place could offer." Ram spoke pridefully, refusing to admit just how incredibly tasty the food she was eating was.
"As expected of big sister!" Rem's eyes were practically sparkling, as she looked to her older sister in admiration.
"...Is she really comparing steamed potatoes to this?" Felix muttered to himself, eyes completely blank at how proud the red-haired Oni was at her 'cooking skills'.
"Well, while we're here eating…" Crusch spoke over her knight, her arms folded directly on her table. "Now would be a good time to begin that 'discussion', would it not?"
"Discussion, huh…" Otto put down his utensils, a thoughtful look now coming to his eyes. "I suppose so. We are all gathered in one place, and we are currently not burdened by...the viewing."
Anastasia grinned in her seat, more than ready to get in on this juicy discussion…
Just before the talk could get underway, however, a loud booming resounded through the food court, as the familiar white Orb of the Host suddenly appeared above the dining cast.
Unlike most times, however, nobody was particularly put off or surprised by the Host's sudden appearance. Most everyone had grown used to the being simply showing up, and while some looked at the Host, some just continued eating.
Emilia seemed the most receptive to its' presence, smiling up at the Orb. "Welcome back, Mr. Host!" For some reason she still didn't understand, the half-elf had some sort of implicit trust in it, so she figured she might as well stay in its' good graces.
Yes, I was dealing with business.
I see you have all settled in, and made use of the facilities currently available to you. That is good.
"Tha' Host, eh?" Anastasia sighed, not too pleased at the important discussion being interrupted by this mysterious being. Tapping her finger on her desk, the greedy gal affixed the Orb with an impatient look. "So? What have ya' got fer us?"
"I hope that it's nothing bad…" Petra murmured, having grown slightly scared of the being despite its' praises to her.
I would like you to direct your attention to the screen on the wall.
Following these directions, the cast all looked towards the walls, their eyes eventually settling on an incredibly large screen attached to one of the walls. It seemed even bigger than the screen within the Theater, accounting for how far they were sitting from it, this time.
"Yet another screen? I presumed that this was a break from our viewing?" Reinhard asked defensively, narrowing his eyes in suspicion at the being.
"Indeed. I did not sense that you were lying when you promised us such, Host-dono. So what is this sudden change of heart?" Crusch backed up the Sword Saint's question, finding herself not too pleased at what she deemed as the Host going back on its' words.
Right. You will indeed not be viewing an 'episode'.
There is, however, something special that I have been saving for you all, now that you have finished the first Arc.
"And you're only showin' this to us now? Why the heck would you wait this long just to unveil it?" Felt grumbled, part of the group that had been angered at this sudden interruption. Not to mention, just like Anastasia, she had almost zero trust in that thing.
I decided it would make more sense to you all if you were to view it afterwards.
Context is rather important, as you all may have learned by now.
Nobody in the group could really respond to that, as each and every one of them thought back to the viewings they had been subjected to in the past few hours. They had all learned that everything they thought about the boy they all now knew to some degree was utterly untrue...all from the 'context' that was Episodes 1 and 2.
"Rem does not mind watching anything, if it's for Subaru-kun…" Rem spoke up bravely, her beautiful blue eyes giving the Host a questioning look. "But...what about Subaru-kun? He's still sleeping in the other room, is he not? Won't he starve if he doesn't eat?"
With this point brought up, both Emilia and Beatrice shared shocked looks, with neither of them having thought of such a possibility.
The Host's Orb shook from side to side, as if shaking his head 'no' to the worried Oni's question.
I am always monitoring his health. After all he is…
There was a silence, as the Host seemed to hesitate in elaborating any further to just what 'Natsuki Subaru' was.
Yet, Anastasia, being ever quick-witted and mindful, cut in, a sly grin on her face. "He's yer 'VIP', ain't he?"
At the fox-like merchant's astute guess, the Host remained silent in what seemed like amazement, before eventually talking once more.
It seems I have already spoken too much.
Yet, I'm sure you know my ans-
"Yeah, yeah, y'can't tell us yet, and all o'that. All we need ta' know right now s'if tha' boy is gonna be fine." Anastasia waved off the Host dismissively, interrupting the being mid-sentence.
Julius looked at his mistress in worry. Her flippant nature towards the being wasn't exactly unexpected, yet he was not confident that he could protect her should the Host lash out, as it had at Priscilla…
Surprisingly, the Host's emotion did not obviously change. Instead, it just continued speaking, with a voice filled with what felt like amusement.
Yes. Natsuki Subaru will not die from any causes as long as he is within this theater. You can rest assured.
Now, as long as there are no further obligations or concerns…
Shall we start?
Rem, who had been the one to voice her concerns in the first place simply nodded, somewhat appeased by the answer the being had provided.
"That sounds acceptable...let us begin this 'special' viewing, Host-dono." Crusch, ever taking on the voice of the people gave her permission to their Host, who simply disappeared out of existence in reply.
As soon as the orb had faded away, the screen that had been pointed out began to light up, and the lights within the food court began to considerably dim…
Text showed on the screen, as a rock guitar starts to intensely play in the background, the performance cuing in the visuals on screen.
Starting Life from Zero in Another World
Opening
"Music…?" Emilia questioned in confusion, unsure of why they were suddenly being given some sort of performance.
"That title, as well...I truly just can't get over how these 'viewings' are presented in a way that truly makes them appear as entertainment." Otto frowned, remembering back on the fact that they had seen that same title on the first episode.
"Least it makes it easy t'understand." Garfiel grumbled. He agreed with his brother about disliking the way it was being presented, but still was grateful it was shown in a way where it was easy for him to understand all that had happened to his Captain.
A black and white void is shown, with blood splattered everywhere. Slowly, it all begins to gather to a dead Subaru.
"S-Subaru-kun is dead? Already?" Rem, much like everyone else was incredibly shocked by the sudden appearance of Subaru's body. Her hands clasped together as she suddenly felt herself lose her appetite.
"To think that despicable being would show us something like this while we are eating, I suppose…" Beatrice muttered, her hands balled into fists. She was already tired of seeing her contractor's corpse, and she at least wished for the short reprieve this break was due to allow them.
"We shouldn't let this overcome us." Reinhard, despite looking somewhat grim at the sight, instead focused on what they were being shown. "Remember, we are never shown any of these viewings without a purpose...I would like to believe in that thought."
The two girls did not say anything in response to the swordmaster's hopeful words, instead forcing themselves to turn their gaze back to the screen.
He is slowly brought to stand alive again, turning around as a dark green fog envelops him.
"He was...revived?" Tivey questioned this sight, looking even more off-put by the fog that suddenly began to surround him.
"Perhaps it represents his ability? We do know that time is essentially 'rewound' for Natsuki-sama alone. It might be showing him, quite literally, 'Returning by Death', as he called it." Crusch mused, her eyes never once moving from the screen. She did not enjoy seeing the boy's body either, but she knew that any and all details had to be gleaned from what they were being shown.
"And as for that that fog…" Wilhelm thought back to the horrid scene they had first been shown. "That despicable fog...it seems similar to the one which that hand first reached out from." His eyes became sharp, as he began thinking of just how disgusting that fog was, for some reason.
Rem shared in the old man's hatred, feeling like the sight of that fog was a blight on her vision itself. "It still feels like something a Witch Cultist would conjure up...yet I already know Subaru-kun is no such thing."
Hearing his maid's words, Roswaal was left in deep thought. He had been silent ever since the group arrived in the food court, overwhelmed by his emotions...yet after Rem spoke, it truly made him once more consider his theory – that Subaru's ability may have been granted to him by a Witch…
We see Subaru, Emilia, Felt, and Elsa within an even denser version of the fog, standing and staring to the camera, as their faces glitch on and off the screen.
"Me, Felt-chan, and...that assassin?" Emilia tilted her head to the side, feeling confused at why she was portrayed within this opening. She wondered if it had something to do with Subaru's feelings towards her, but immediately shook off that self-centered thought.
"Well, this iiiis being shown to us like a sick form of entertainment, isn't it? Maybe the people in the fog are representing some kind of theme, similar to a play?" Felix seriously considered, wondering just what message the scene was attempting to convey.
"Hmm…" Felt leaned back in her chair, her arms folded. The blonde ex-thief seemed to be considering just what 'theme' it could be representing. "I don't think it's just showing us random stuff, either…"
Mimi, of all people, was the one to perk up, happily shouting out her thoughts. "Doesn't it seem like all the people from the first 'Arc'? There's the pretty half-elf lady, the thief girl, and the dangerous lady!"
These words seemed to click with almost everyone, with Felt facepalming at the obvious realization.
"I see...that's why that bitch is shown separate from all of us. It's just showin' me and big sis together and then overlaying her on top, since she's the 'threat', I guess. Still feels a little too nice to just call her that." The little anarchist seemed to be catching on to the way things were going, already pissed she had to even recall the assassin.
"This really is being treated like an entertaining story, isn't it? To think someone so evil would just be represented as a simple villain…" Emilia, on the other hand, seemed much less comfortable with the way everything was being presented.
"Not to mention, to have death treated so lightly is a little bit…" Felix's cheerfulness had momentarily disappeared from his voice, as Emilia's words seemed to strike a chord with him.
"We can't help it if it's being shown this way. It's disrespectful to the kid, but it's all we got. Least it's better than leaving him to suffer." Al muttered, urging the half-elf, the cat-eared demihuman and the rest of the group to keep staring at the screen, even if begrudgingly.
Suddenly, we are shown Beatrice within the fog, sitting alone, then Ram and Rem, both standing together and giving the camera a smile and a curious stare, each. The screen glitches between the three, then showing Roswaal's imposing face over them.
"Another one o'these things presentin' characters. But it looks like s'a tad bit different, now. I mean, this time we ain't got no villain, from what I can see." Anastasia spoke with confusion, unsure of just why Roswaal had taken the place of Elsa in the spot of the 'villain', of all things.
Roswaal himself was silent, just continuing to watch. He felt like the screen itself was condemning him...showing him that he was practically on the same level as that sadistic murderer, Elsa. Not even fit to stand alongside any of his maids, and especially not near to Beatrice.
Ram gave her master a discreet gaze filled with uncertainty. Ever since she'd seen that anti-magic cloak, she was beginning to get her doubts...but even the viewing seemed to be putting it in her face now.
Yet, as a maid, it was her duty to protect her master.
"Indeed, it is ridiculous. Roswaal-sama would never be on the same level as that filthy, low-life assassin." Ram defended, leaving Roswaal to look up to her with a bit of shock within his gaze.
"Then looks like we got our first mystery o' a scene here." Ricardo muttered, displeased with the vagueness of just what everything here meant.
The scene changes to be much brighter, with Subaru staring at Emilia in wonder as countless hundreds of minor spirits surround them both.
"Looks like even this 'opening' has to show how heads over heels Subaru-kyun is for Emilia-sama, huh?" Felix snickered at the sight, with everyone getting a good laugh out of it as well.
Emilia just blushed, keeping her hands together and sinking into her seat. Her pure white skin was as red as a tomato.
Rem looked on with a lovely smile, even finding herself enjoying just how much Subaru's love for the half-elf was portrayed. Previously, she would have felt jealous, but...she and Emilia were no longer rivals, but something like comrades. The blue-haired Oni felt it was okay to support her now.
Interrupting this, a dark clawed hand reaches for Emilia, suddenly making her explode and disappear, the scene being turned blood Red as Subaru backs away, looking around in surprise.
"That clawed hand...to think it would kill Emilia-sama just like that…" Julius felt perturbed at the sight of the young lady practically imploding into a mass of blood.
"It seems that, just as we all experienced before, it truly must be some sort of dangerous entity." Reinhard shared in his friend's distress, finding himself not so happy to see one of the royal candidates simply 'popped' out of existence.
"While disturbing, we must note...that hand seemed to reach only for Emilia-dono. Just as it only seemed to reach for her and Natsuki-sama, back within the Theater." Crusch murmured, as she mulled over the scene within her mind.
"Let us keep that noted for later discussions…" Otto murmured, being one of those to have memorized almost every detail of this 'opening' so far.
Another Subaru taps him on the shoulder, moving forward to leave his other self behind, who also pops away into nothingness.
"Two Subarus?!" Petra exclaimed in a mix of shock and confusion, looking between the two of them.
"And one moves forward, only to leave the next one behind to disappear…" Wilhelm observed, sliding a thumb along his chin.
"I will admit, the meaning of this one seems somewhat complex…" Rem wanted badly to understand just what this imagery involving her hero meant, exactly...yet part of her felt almost like she wanted to leave the meaning behind.
Witnessing their ignorance, Priscilla scoffed, putting aside her meal which she had been easily eating. She wiped her soft lips before speaking, a wicked smirk on her face.
"Mineself believes you commoners are simply attempting your hardest to stay ignorant of the truth, rather than being truly unknowing of this scene's meaning. After all...if you have been paying even the slightest attention to the fools' mindset, then the truth should instantly reveal itself."
The words of the arrogant princess drew everyone's eyes to her, which made her smirk as she received the attention she felt she rightfully deserved.
"And jus' wh't th'hell d'ya' mean by that, huh?" Garfiel questioned with a certain edge to his voice, staring at the woman with narrowed eyes. Ever since he'd shut her up, he held nothing but absolute contempt and annoyance for the woman.
"It means, mutt, that this boy is clearly seeing himself as expendable. He leaves behind the version of himself which dies, and then continues forward as a new, living version of himself. In a disgusting cycle of self-sacrifice, he does not even have regard for the life he has left behind, single-mindedly focusing on moving forward."
While Garfiel wanted badly to shoot back at Priscilla's self-important, haughty tone...he was much too stricken by the revelation that her words had pushed onto them.
"So...Subaru-kyun is literally just seeing himself as leaving behind his dead versions, just to get ahead…?" Usually, Felix would feel disgusted at this careless view of life, yet the doctor was beginning to truly understand just what Subaru's power was doing to his psyche. "It's...like he's beginning to lose himself to his power." Rather than disgusted, the feminine knight's words were soft, somewhat sympathetic.
Felix could tell – Subaru didn't need to be berated...the young man needed mental help.
Emilia, Rem, and Beatrice all felt worry strike their hearts in equal measure. Each and every one of them wanted to go and run in the other room just to check on the boy the three of them cared about.
"You fool…! You, you fool..." Beatrice muttered under her breath, holding fistfuls of her frilled dress in her hands. The more she learned about her contractor's true state...the more she felt like she was being utterly useless to him. When she said these words, it was not really aimed at Subaru...she was cursing herself.
"Subaru-kun…"
"Subaru…"
Rather than being somewhat angry like Beatrice, Rem and Emilia just seemed sincerely concerned for the young man. They knew, surely, that Subaru needed more than just to be understood...he needed to be loved, cared for, helped. The scene almost made it seem like the young boy was just completely becoming desensitized to his own death, a fact which utterly terrified the both of them.
For all three of them, tears began to gather at the corners of their eyes.
"Damn it." Felt banged her hand on her shared table with Reinhard, hard enough to shake it. Her crimson-haired knight looked down at his mistress with worry, eyes mirroring the wrath and frustration in hers. "I knew it...I knew I was right for wanting big bro to come with me."
The Sword Saint could not even respond to his angered lady's words, caught up in a maelstrom of his own emotions. He could not even say with confidence that he would have been able to see past whatever facade his friend was putting up to hide these feelings…
"Tha' boy really has it rough, huh?" Anastasia gave a dark chuckle, a bit of unusual pity in her tone. She wasn't particularly close to the kid, but...something just tugged at her heart upon hearing just how screwed up the boy's power was making him. Something about a boy working his hardest, using all of his meager power and wisdom to achieve his goals just resonated with her.
And because it resonated with her, it hurt her just a little more than she expected to hear how badly that was breaking him.
"Subaru…" Julius lowered his head, as his mind began to be slightly overcome by some dark thoughts. He wondered...just how bad had he exacerbated his friend's issue by beating him up, of all things? Had he really even helped him, like Felix had tried to reassure him? The Finest Knight...no longer knew.
We see Emilia standing alone in the bright yellow void, as various Subarus with different colors glitch in and out of existence around her, all walking their own paths.
"It's kind of screwed up seeing this…" Al muttered, feeling incredibly disturbed by this scene, now that he knew what all these Subaru's represented – all the dead selves the kid was leaving behind.
"And to think all of them are just circling around me…" Emilia muttered, her hands tightly closing together. The angelic looking half-elf could just not fathom why her knight that she cared so much for, would keep all of this balled up in himself…
"He's quite an idiot for saying not a single thing." Ram huffed, feeling her view of the boy even further deteriorate. Not to a negative opinion, however...she felt like she was instead a bit too harsh to him. It was, of course, just her way of showing she cared, but...even if her insults were small, she wondered just how much of them Subaru actually internalized.
Finally, we're shown the real Subaru, who yells to the camera, screaming in desperation as tears are flung from his face.
"He looks so...hurt." Rem's heart was pained as she saw the sheer desperation within her hero's faces.
"Kid's determination and his desperation...I wonder just what the real difference between 'em is?" Ricardo noted, wondering just how much of the boy's willpower came from the pain that he seemed to be in, here.
Nobody felt confident enough to answer that...
Then our view is forced back to the dark green void, where Emilia and Subaru stand back to back, with the images of Felt, Rem, Ram, and Beatrice spin by them.
The screen shows quick cuts of Felt holding out his tongue, Old Man Rom yelling at the screen, Reinhard giving the screen a serious stare, the Appa Seller giving his usual sly grin, and a lineup of the Ton-Chin-Kan thug trio.
We are then shown glitchy text on even glitchier backgrounds, before the text finally takes form.
Re: Zero
Re: Life in a different world from zero
"This 'opening'...it must be an intro' ta' these viewin's o'ours." Anastasia guessed, with the idea of just what this was finally coming to the quick-witted merchantess' mind.
"An introduction...to the story of Natsuki Subaru." Roswaal whispered under his breath. It seemed...Subaru was even more important than the magician had naively thought.
Again back to the foggy green void, we can see Subaru desperately running towards a clouded version of himself standing before the only opening of light in the whole space, reaching out desperately, only to fall.
More and more Subaru's keep reaching out, all falling and dying, barely reaching to connect his hands.
"Cap'n is tryin' his hardest, movin' as far as he can...runnin' n'running jus' t'try n'get t'the end, only t'die each time…" Garfiel wiped away any tears that had started to build up in his eyes, rejecting those emotions. "Captain doesn't deserve fer me t'cry my eyes out...he deserves m'utmost respect!" He roared, feeling a new level of admiration for Subaru.
"Natsuki-sama really is something. On the verge of breaking, yet...frantically trying his best just to reach towards the only light he can see...the 'happy ending' that he spoke of." Crusch, as a fellow warrior, felt her admiration and worry raise in equal level. How much...how much could the boy really take?
"Natsuki-san isn't just an extremely selfless person...he's unhealthily selfless. It seems as if...he doesn't even feel any worth in himself beyond dying and using his ability." Otto noted, his fists shaking in the rage as he saw more and more of this viewing. It began to make sense...just why he had seemed so desperate, crazed and lost back in the Sanctuary.
One finally makes it to the blindingly bright light, covering his face as he walks against the strong wind, finally seeing into the light.
There Beatrice, Rem, Ram, Emilia, and Felt stand, all looking to him as if waiting for him in this brightly lit paradise.
The girls represented on screen couldn't help but feel show a bit of a blush while being seen on screen.
"Looks like Natsuki-kun s'greedier than I gave 'im credit fer!" Anastasia snickered at this image, deciding to take the moment to give herself a bit of happiness through this small amount of humor.
He smiles, trying to take a step forward, only for the clawed hand to violently reach into him, causing him to look up and let out a scream of pure agony.
The entire opening flashes in his mind's eye, all the way back to the beginning, as he roars against the pain.
Only for him to be left dead in the black and white world again, blood splattering from a wound on his chest as he falls to the ground, dead.
With the performance seemingly over, the screen went black, the audio fading away into silence.
"To think he just gets dragged right back into death after finally reaching his 'happy ending'...Subaru must feel as if he's walking up a never-ending hill." Reinhard was clearly glum at the ending, wondering just how much of the 'real' Subaru they were missing out on.
"All by that damned claw, almost like it just refuses for him to be happy. Like it wants him to be alone." Rem muttered in resentment. Not only did she dislike the hand for its' seeming connection to the Witch Cult, but just for the suffering and despair it seemed to put her hero through.
"It's hard to pin down just what it wants...on one hand, without the ability it granted Subaru, he would have died on his first day in Lugnica...yet, at the same time, the specific ability it granted him induces such pain within him…" Frederica could not help but think more deeply at the boy named Subaru she had just dismissed as an odd guest within the mansion. Watching the screen, she had felt sympathy for him, but it hurt her even more at seeing just how much it broke Petra, who was now practically tearing up at the earlier words from everyone else.
"I believe that this segments directly into our discussion…" Crusch spoke with a strong voice, calling everyone's attention to her. "First of all...just what does the thing that summoned Natsuki-sama into our world intend with him?"
"That's...a good question." Emilia, despite being one of the closest to Subaru there, had no idea. Even if he sometimes spoke about his homeland, he never really spoke about how he got in Lugnica.
"While the entity that brought him here seems hostile to others...and even hostile to Subaru himself, at moments...we can mostly assume it brought him here to accomplish something, correct? After all, we must remember that it is not Subaru traversing back in time." Julius hummed, as he thought back to the last time he'd seen a similar clawed hand.
It reminded him of the Unseen Hands of the Sin Archbishop, Betelgeuse Romanee-Conti, yet, they seemed slightly different in appearance. The Finest Knight could not say for sure, as the only visual he'd gotten of it was thanks to his sharing of Subaru's vision during the fight. For a moment, he wondered if the reason Subaru was capable of seeing those hands was due to his prior experience with this 'being'.
"Right on the mark, Julius-kun...he's bein' forced back ta' some arbitrary point by whatever's responsible for bringin' him 'ere, right?" Anastasia hummed, her words showing just how much attention she had been paying to the boy's ability, from sheer interest.
"It still stands to think why such a powerful entity would want someone like Barusu...but I don't think we should waste time thinking about random possibilities." Ram shook her head at the prospect of continuing this part of this discussion, being a part of the cast that just wanted to move on.
"We know already about his ability...his ability, Return by Death, and as for his past…" Crusch turned her gaze to Beatrice, the only one among them who knew the exact details of what Subaru's life had been before he arrived.
The Great Spirit shook her head, narrowing her eyes at the rest of the cast. "It is not Betty's place to give any of you a single bit of that information, I suppose. It would be her contractor who would have to consent to such a request." Just as before, she refused to budge, remaining adamant about keeping Subaru's faith and trust.
"That's okay, Beatrice." Emilia was the one to speak up, before anyone else could argue against her words. "I know that Subaru reeeeeeally trusts you...and none of us would ever want you to break that trust. Right?" The half-elf turned her gaze at everyone else, who reluctantly had to give up on the prospect of receiving those answers, nodding in response to Emilia's question.
"Then...we can leave all o' that fer later…" Anastasia seemed to be the most reluctant to give in, the disappointment practically showing on her face at losing such a valuable opportunity to gather even further information. Like it or not, she still had to respect personal boundaries. It wasn't like she had anything that the Spirit needed that she could use to extort or trade for with her...Beatrice right now had all the power.
"Hmph! You better…Betty has a much more pressing topic to bring up, in fact. Should we not be thinking about just the 'job' that was carried out?" Beatrice hummed, deciding to move the topic away from discussing the personal details of her contractor.
"Indeed…" Priscilla waved her fan, looking towards Roswaal with a nasty smirk on her. "The foolish boy's camp does indeed have a pest problem. Mineself can see plenty of willing rats within."
"A traitor…" Otto, as the Head of Internal Affairs, was the one who this problem truly fell to. If he was really to prove his position, then he had to find just who this person was...yet… "The issue is that we have no idea just whom it could be…"
"Just who would even want to hurt me that badly…? I don't even remember doing anything to anyone, not enough for them to want to kill me…" Emilia was somewhat frightened, though mostly hurt by the idea of anyone in her camp, people she trusted and fought alongside wanting her dead. Rather than opt to kill her, she wished that whoever it was had just come to discuss it with her.
She may have been immature back then, but she had grown enough to realize that grudges and differences could breed hate, a hate that could begin a vicious cycle of death. Yet...she was sure there was no such hateful person in her camp.
"Whoever th'hell th'y are, I'll jus' beat th'shit outta 'em!" Garfiel promised with rage, intent on protecting his fellow camp members. Once the shield of the Sanctuary, Garfiel had become the shield to protect his group...and he was not letting some damn traitor get in the way of that, no matter who they were.
Rem, despite saying nothing, emanated waves of hatred towards whoever was their secret traitor. Once upon a time, Rem herself had disliked Emilia...and even recently, she had only just become acquainted with her.
Yet, in these stressful circumstances the Theater had presented she had become surprisingly closer to her...close enough for them to both talk about sharing their love for the boy that mattered the most to them in their lives.
She would not forgive whoever would dare to take that away from her, and from her beloved hero.
Ram nervously slid her eyes over to Roswaal, who seemed to insist on remaining utterly silent...but the maid knew that his suspicious actions would draw everyone's eyes onto him eventually. Yet...she decided to keep her lips shut. While she loved Roswaal...he was a man of many sins.
Sins that he would eventually have to face.
Sins that Ram would once have died for...yet after realizing the extent of his horrible actions...she was no longer so sure.
It was one thing when Ram didn't care about the nasty-eyed boy, when she didn't care about the half-elf Emilia, and when she was not even the slightest bit connected to Beatrice…
Yet now...now that she was actually close to them, now that she had actually developed bonds with them and come to care for them, the Oni was no longer sure if she would be able to so easily turn a blind eye to whatever vile things her master had committed.
Ram could easily sacrifice herself...but she was not sure if she could sacrifice them.
"I don't believe that we have to decide on everything during this viewing." Reinhard admitted, looking thoughtful. He seemed hesitant to put off the issue himself, but was resolute in his words. "We still have much too many questions about this 'traitor. Such as their motives, methods, and identity."
"I agree. Not to mention, we cannot exactly conduct a proper search while confined in this Theater." Julius backed up his friend, motioning towards the walls that were surrounding them. "As much as I, myself would like to bring such a heinous criminal to justice…"
"Gotta put it off for now, huh?" Al sighed, folding his arms and leaning back in his chair.
"I suppose that would be best for the moment...not to mention…" Otto let out a short sigh, as he looked between the various faces of all of his camp members. "I have a feeling that whenever we find that person, it's going to be quite the headache for me."
**BANG!**
"Then, if all that talk is done with-!" Felt grinned, slamming her hands down on the table. "I wanna make a formal announcement, right here and now!" She turned to Emilia, pointing her finger at the half-elf. "From now on, I'm gonna be in a permanent alliance with big sis! She'll get my help and assistance whenever I can give it!"
There was a few moments of silence...before everyone let out sounds of absolute surprise – Reinhard excepted.
"A-Are you serious?! But, this just came smackdab out of nowhere!" Emilia herself seemed the most flustered at the blonde troublemaker's sudden proclamation, slipping into her habit of blurting out old, corny words.
"T-that's correct, that proclamation truly could not have been more ill-timed…" Julius placed his hand on his head. As a Royal Knight, hearing an alliance being pushed forward so easily was turning his whole world upside down.
As if seeking an answer, he looked to Reinhard with a pleading gaze...only to be met by Reinhard's apologetic smile, a smile which practically radiated 'I'm just going along with my lady's wishes'...leaving Julius to slump his head and sigh.
"This...this is surprising...you do know that our camp cannot exactly afford to reward you for anything or trade you anything in return, right?" Otto questioned, wanting to make sure that the girl knew just what she was getting into.
At these words, Felt simply waved off the gray-haired merchant's question, grinning with confidence. "I don't care about all that crap! I've been meaning to get this off my chest for a while, anyway! Being competitors for the Royal Selection doesn't mean we have to be half-enemies that just don't care about each other. I care about big sis, and I care about big bro – and I still wanna rule Lugnica! It's that simple!"
Anastasia couldn't help but snicker at Felt's proclamation, giving a pleased smile as she heard the girl's words. "Why, that's awfully greedy of ya, miss Felt. Sounds like ya' want to have yer cake an' eat it too!"
"Like you're one to talk, you greedy woman. I'm just a gal who knows what I want. You guys can play all the political games you wanna, but I'm just taking the realest approach. There ain't any point in ruling a kingdom if everyone I care about is dead."
Felt's reply was curt and to the point, but it struck home for where it mattered. Indeed, in the past, the candidates' stubbornness to be willing to help each other had indeed almost caused irreversible deaths.
If Subaru had not barely convinced Anastasia and Crusch to work alongside him, an entire estate, along with a village, would have been wiped right off of the map.
Crusch herself would have likely been entirely erased by the White Whale, and if not, she would probably be entirely finished off by the two Sin Archbishops that had mysteriously appeared.
Yes, all due to their stubbornness, and selfish actions, two candidates' entire camps had almost died, nearly irreversibly damaging the Royal Selection.
So who were those two to say anything else against her words?
"So, with that out of the way...I'm looking forward to working with you, big sis!" Felt turned a big grin to Emilia, who still seemed a bit overwhelmed by the suddenness of the situation...yet, at the end, she returned a happy smile right back at the blonde.
"Well, alright. I hope we can work together in the future as well, Felt-chan." Eventually, she just couldn't help but give in to it. After all, after surviving death together, and bonding even more closely...Emilia felt it only natural to work with the girl that felt almost like a little sister to her, now.
And with that, the Felt-Emilia Camp Alliance was officially born.
"Those old men on the council are going to have a field day with this when we get back, nyan~." Felix said with an amused smile, happily thinking of the reactions that would be had to such an unbalanced alliance.
"It will indeed be quite the sight to behold…" Crusch, while watching this scene, was in equal part amused...and somewhat regretful. She had an alliance with the Emilia camp, but it was for the sole purposes of hunting down the Witch Cult, and nothing else. A part of her wished to join in on this alliance...however, she needed more time to think on it. The militaristic candidate was not nearly as impulsive as Felt, and even if some part of her deep down wished to agree to such a notion, she knew that decisions based purely on emotion were dangerous.
So, Crusch Karsten held her mouth, deciding to keep to herself for the moment.
Anastasia was of course intrigued, but not so interested in joining up hands with Emilia. She was interested in working with Felt, but knew now that Felt had gained the advantage for such talks in making the first move to ally herself with the half-elf candidate. It was a power move that essentially proved that Emilia now had the backing of the only, and most powerful wildcard within the entire Royal Selection.
"So that's how ya play, huh, Felt-chan?" Anastasia smirked, feeling excited at the way things were developing.
Priscilla, was as ever, disinterest in the inner workings of all of these camps. Not to mention, she had not even the slightest bit of interest in ever allying with any of her competitors. Rather, she would prefer all of them to drop out and give her the spot she felt she rightfully deserved.
"Stray dogs will seek out other stray dogs." She shook her head in utter boredom, instead returning to leisurely enjoying her meal.
And so, the discussion for the Arc 1 Break came to an official end.
Almost as if on cue, the Host's voice boomed right back into the area.
It seems you have finished your meals and your discussions, guests.
With that in mind, I have opened up our two entertainment areas for you.
On cue, a click was heard from the Library and Arcade doors, as each seemed to open from within.
There are also sleeping areas prepared for you, and restrooms.
There are also baths, if they are required. Each of your rooms should contain changes of clothing.
I suggest all of you rest.
Alleviate your tired bodies.
The next Arc will be much longer than the first.
Do keep in mind, we begin anew only once you have all taken your seats within the Theater.
"Well then." Beatrice was the first to get up. "Betty will be clearing her mind within the library, I suppose." She walked her way off towards the library, deciding to fall into the embrace of books.
Following her example, Anastasia headed off right behind the little spirit, curious as to just what information she'd find within. Julius decided to follow his lady, finding himself curious as to what would be in such a place, as well. Tivey, being the ever logical member of his own group, of course had to check out the library's contents, himself.
Of course, Garfiel, Petra, Felt, and Mimi were quick to run off straight towards the arcade to have the times of their lives. Frederica followed behind, deciding to act as a chaperon, and Emilia surprisingly came, feeling that childish part of herself reactivate as she considered just what fun things might be inside…
Hetaro followed timidly behind the group, only coming along because of his sister's presence there. His only comfort was Ricardo, who seemed to be heading to the Arcade in search of some good fun, himself.
Some stayed behind at the tables, like Ram and Rem, who seemed to be talking to each other happily, just catching up on the moments they had missed out on together.
Crusch and her camp also remained at the tables for a long while, with Crusch seeming to have some sort of serious discussion with her butler, Wilhelm.
Of course, there were also those like Roswaal and Priscilla, who simply headed off directly for their accommodations. Al wanted to check out the arcade, himself...but was given the stink eye by Priscilla, practically forcing him to come with her.
Everyone spent their time in their own ways, but eventually everyone retired to their rooms, getting a good few hours of rest and refreshing themselves. While they were all on edge and ready for just what was coming next – the group also knew that they couldn't just allow their bodies to break down all because of it.
So, with expectant hearts, and mixed emotions, everyone allowed sleep to overtake them.
After a good bath and a good breakfast, everyone began to file into the Theater once again, people trickling inside bit by bit and making their way to their seats.
Emilia's camp, as always, sat in front, with Beatrice, Rem, and Emilia taking their prized spots by Subaru, who was still sleeping soundly like he hadn't even experienced anything.
"I'm glad to see that you're fine, Subaru…" Emilia spoke gently, softly cupping her knight's cheek in her hand. With all that she had learned about him...a little bit of tenderness was the least she felt she could offer him, even if it was while he was sleeping.
"Hmph! Betty's Subaru would not go anywhere, I suppose. Not while Betty is here!" Beatrice said resolutely, huffing as she moved Emilia's hand away in protest, an adorable pout on her face.
Rem and Emilia shared a giggle at Beatrice's cute display of possessiveness, both girls now practically in sync.
"Beatrice-sama truly cares for Subaru-kun, doesn't she?"
"She reeeeeeally does."
Once more they shared a laugh, leaving Beatrice to turn red in embarrassment.
"Y-You two, stop laughing at Betty in synchronicity right this moment!"
Besides them were Garfiel and Otto, who seemed to be sharing theories and discussions on just what would happen next.
"It's screwed up, all th't crap we learned 'bout th' Cap'n...but I think we're gonna see even more of his amazin' moments, soon! He's...he's gotta get better later on! No, he will!"
"I hope so, Garfiel-san...I really do hope so…but, at the very least, we were allowed that nice break, yes?"
"Hell yeah! Y'shoulda seen how I destroyed that blonde runt in-"
Then there was Petra and Frederica.
Petra was turned around talking to Mimi, who was now seated directly behind her, away from the rest of her camp, with the exception of her brother, Hetaro, that sat quietly on his sister's free right side.
Everyone outside of the Emilia camp (whose row of chairs was full due to the sheer number of them) had decided, before entering, that each person should be free to choose their own seats.
It worked better with the newly developing friendships, anyways.
"Wasn't that one game really cool?! The one with that..uhm...what do you call it…?"
"Motorbike! Vroom vroom!" Mimi completed Petra's sentence, with the junior maid's face brightening up as Mimi completed her sentence.
"Yeah, that really was awesome, wasn't it?!" Felt grinned as the little demihuman girl mimicked the sounds of the motorcycle. Completing the newly-formed Sisterhood, the little blonde was sitting right next to Mimi, leaning in to her conversation with Petra.
Frederica was seated next to Petra, and Reinhard was seated next to Felt, both looking over their young charges with content smiles on their faces.
Ram was seated away from her master this time, instead taking a seat between Frederica and her sister, Rem. She was not sure why, but...she no longer felt as close to her master as she once had.
The maid...needed time to think. Away from her master, the man she thought she loved, for once.
Roswaal, on the other hand, lacked any of his usual clownish features. He was no longer even wearing his usual clown makeup, leaving him looking rather serious and normal as he stared ahead at the screen in expectation.
"Ta' think their world had all that interestin' stuff…" Anastasia was seated on the left of her knight, her eyes shining and her smile practically oozing satisfaction at what she had been able to read in the library.
"They even hold stories of spirits, too...yet their concepts of spirits seem to be separate...I would say that the 'fairies' that I read of were more accurate." Said knight, Julius Juukulius shared his own interest in the books, committing a lot of the knowledge he'd picked up to memory.
Of course, on the right side of Anastasia, was the remainder of the Iron Fang group that hadn't split up – Ricardo and Tivey.
"Y'seriously jus' shacked yerself up in tha' library, Tivey?! What, were ya' tryin' to pull an all-nighter jus' readin', like tha' boss was?" Ricardo snickered, wiping a tear from his eyes in amusement as he looked at the monocle-wearing demihuman, who had clear bags under his eyes.
"I regret nothing...every single text was worth studying…"
Closer behind Emilia sat Wilhelm, Felix, and Crusch, who all seemed to look surprisingly serious.
"So, do you understand, Wilhelm-dono? I will not meddle in your family affairs myself, however...I strongly believe that you should take my advice. You only have one grandson."
The old butler let out a deep sigh, giving a slow, somewhat reluctant nod to her words.
"I...I understand, Crusch-sama. I...I will try my hardest."
Felix chuckled, his tail swishing behind him as he grinned at the butler. "Don't be so down about it, Old Man Wilhelm! I am a little sad to nyow that you felt that way about my friend all this time...but what's important is that you're willing to try and get over it, nyan~!"
And of course, as always, Priscilla's camp sat the furthest back, at the very top of the Theater.
"For how infuriating of a being he is, that Host admittedly has the right mind to offer mineself a room so deserving of my status." The noble lady seemed surprisingly pleased, as she recalled fondly just how perfect her room had been. She felt it tailored specifically to her.
Not to mention, it was just the perfect place for getting all of her anger out.
"Well, yeah, the rooms were pretty dang good…" Al agreed, shoulders slumping as he looked off to the side and muttered under his breath. "Wish I could've gone to the arcade, though…"
"Did you say something, Aldebaran?"
The armored knight twitched at the use of his name, quickly shaking his head.
"No, princess, I didn't."
Having been forced to take the brunt of all of Priscilla's pent-up wrath during those few hours...he was not trying to get her even more riled up just so he could get beat up even more.
With everyone seated and settled in, the break room doors closed, and the Host's voice returned once more.
As you have all returned...we shall again begin.
Ready yourselves, guests, for your next viewing shall begin.
I shall be gone for a bit on my own business, so I shall leave you to this Arc at your own discretion.
Everyone seemed surprised at this sudden proclamation from the Host, with each and every one of them confused at just why the being that had deemed to be practically watching over them at all times would just leave like that.
"This is just like the last time he disappeared…" Emilia murmured, feeling as if she were catching on to some sort of invisible pattern.
Well then, shall we?
All conversations ceased, all minds became focused, and all eyes turned to the screen as the Host's voice faded out. And in place, that familiar bright white light faded in on screen.
Break rooms locked.
All guests detected.
Beginning Arc 2 – The Tumultuous Week.
At this name, everyone could not help but feel somewhat apprehensive. It seemed like a name that was so specific...yet it was hard to pin down what such a title exactly meant.
However, there was one person who felt slightly terrified by this name – Beatrice. She remembered how Subaru had been so desperate to figure out if he had been cursed, and even asked her to remove a curse from him...all within the span of the first week he'd been at the mansion.
The spirit held held her contractor close as she steeled herself for just what was to come.
Episode 3 – Begin.
Destiny's Mini-Sorta-Cool-Still-Imaginative-Author-Corner!
Total Word Count: 10,142 words.
Hey guys, sorry if you were expecting a full react chapter. This is just what I like to call a 'break time' chapter. It's used to deepen character relationships, allow characters to question things more fully, and give me a chance to develop characters down the path I wish for them to go. Of course, I'm keeping them as in-character as I can, but they do have to develop and change. It wouldn't make sense for them to stay the same after watching Re: Zero.
I really don't have much to say here, except for, god I'm a slave to this story. After seeing all of your positive reviews and stuff, I just couldn't help myself from writing this. It was a last minute choice, as you can see by the post date (literally a day after my last update).
No, I didn't sleep. Yes, it's 6 AM for me. Yes I am unhealthy and a crazy writer...but I just love this story too much! I'm beginning to fall into a spiral for it!
Even if you don't like this, it's fine. I just really wanted to do this quickly and early. Since I know a lot of people won't be interested in this chapter, I don't want them to feel like they've waited the full 2 week period just for a non-reaction chapter. So here we go.
Now, I think I should make some space for some reviews I wanted to address.
Dylandidi10: Thank you for your concerns, this is something I actually wasn't sure if I made explicit enough. So, in this world, Shaula has already viewed the series of Re: Zero up to a certain stopping point, courtesy of the Orb. It's implied that he has given her her own private viewing that she finished before the main cast, but has not seen the full story. Because of this, Shaula has been made aware that her master, Flugel, is irrevocably dead and gone (as far as we know at least).
This is why her mood suddenly changes so harshly when the Orb mentions her master. She is putting on a façade of happiness to keep herself sane, and is focusing on her now meaningless job to protect the tower just to keep going.
Her only ray of hope is the VIP that the Host has mentioned, called Natsuki Subaru. The boy she saw in her viewing. The boy who reminded her so much of her master...maybe he can prove the Orb wrong? Maybe...maybe this boy is her master? And even if he isn't...she just wants some form of comfort...someone, anyone, to take that place for her. I see it as a sorta of Beatrice waiting for 'That Person' situation, except even more extreme.
I hope this can satisfy any of you who are wondering, since I was planning on leaving most of that information about Shaula implied.
BlueRoseSword: Thank you for answering my questions, man. And thank you for that idea. From now on, I'm going to try to work that into the story a little bit more, and have the characters see the Arc names pre-Arc viewings. I've tried to do a little bit of that with Beatrice here, but it wasn't planned, so I'll have to work on it a bit more for later.
Now then, if you guys will excuse me, I'm nurturing a really bad headache now. I'm gonna head off and sleep.
**Goes to bed**
No imaginary animals to ride off into the sunset on this time...good night.